Britain's Christmas Mail Will Go Through

LONDON — Union leaders representing postal workers settled their dispute with Britain's Post Office over work hours Saturday, virtually assuring that the nation's mail will not be disrupted during the Christmas season, officials reported.

Some 6,000 postal workers, starting Wednesday, had staged wildcat walkouts to press for their demands for a three-hour reduction in their workweek, which now includes a 43-hour workweek over six days. The strike had threatened to disrupt Britain's Christmas season mailing rush, and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said a postal stoppage would be "totally heartless" and "utterly cruel."